副词不定式的dangling modification,比较分句的倒装

【原句】The new features are designed to lure middle-class travelers who are younger and more active but have less time to spend at sea than the retired blue bloods who once dominated the passenger lists.

请问:

(1) 这个原句是否正确?

(2) 若将副词不定式to lure middle-class travelers…移至主语之前,即形成这样的句子:【句1】To lure middle-class travelers who are younger and more active but have less time to spend at sea than the retired blue bloods who once dominated the passenger lists, the new features are designed. 对于这样的句子,有的语法书会认为存在dangling modification的错误。给出的理由是:不定式to lure middle-class travelers…所代表的动作,必须是它所修饰的主语的动作。故此类主语通常是表“人”的名词或代词。而the new features是无思想的东西,故无lure middle-class travelers的能力。该语法书的这种观点正确吗?【句1】真的存在dangling modification的错误吗?

(3) 对于比较分句来说,比较级的从属子句还可以选择倒装,例如:Unit 3 is longer than is Unit 4. 那么对于原句中的比较结构:

【句2】Middle-class travelers are younger and more active but have less time to spend at sea than the retired blue bloods. 若比较级的从属子句选择倒装的话,那么在than与the retired blue bloods之间的部分应该怎样书写?

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最佳答案 2018-04-18 20:48


《韦氏学生词典》对动词lure的释义和例句:

to cause or persuade (a person or an animal) to go somewhere or to do something by offering some pleasure or gain

  • advertisers trying to lure [=attract] a younger audience to their products

  • They lured the bear out of its den.

  • The suburbs are luring middle-class families away from the city.

最后一个例句清楚表明,lure的主语可以是事物,而不一定非得是人。此时lure的意思为cause (sb) to go somewhere or to do sth. 吸引某人去某处或做某事。由此可知,有的语法书认为lure没有思想,不可能是lure动作主体的说法是不正确的。

不过,网友句子中的不定式确实是目的状语,而不定式的逻辑主语是省略了的by somebody. 即to lure的逻辑主语并不是the new features. 因此,这个不定式短语属于语法中的悬垂不定式或悬垂修饰语。同时,这个句子告诉我们悬垂修饰语并不是绝对不可以用的。在被动结构的句子中常可见到此类作目的状语的不定式。主动语态时,不定式的动作是主语的动作,改为被动语态后,施事者状语by短语省略,不定式就成了悬垂修饰语。但此时不定式的逻辑主语通常是泛指的人们,我们或句子上下文已经很清楚的某人,不影响读者的理解,不会导致误解或逻辑混乱 这样的不定式作状语是很常见的。换句话说,这样的悬垂修饰语是可以接受的。例如:

The campaign is designed to lure tourists back to the province.《麦克米伦词典》


Middle-class travelers are younger and more active but have less time to spend at sea than the retired blue bloods.

比较分句的倒装目的是为了突出比较分句的主语,因此分句谓语采用操作词替代。本句but前省略了than分句than the retired blue bloods are, 故句末的than分句的谓语只是助动词do.因此本句than分句补全则为than the retired blue bloods do或than do the retired blue bloods.

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  • airputih 提出于 2018-04-17 19:03

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